It is conventionally believed that adhesive agents, or two-sided tapes, could be applied in order to attach a metal scuff plate to a rocker panel. However, because of unfavorable characteristics such as a low degree of precision in adhesion, and complications in the handling of papers that needs to be discarded, adhering materials such as adhesive agents and two-sided tapes have not been widely employed.
As a substitute for these adhering materials, recent developments have led to a method of fastening a metal scuff plate to a vehicle door or to a vehicle body. According to this method, a metal scuff plate and a clip are mounted on a resin-made garnish, and the clip is engaged to a fastening hole of the vehicle door, or of the vehicle body, thus enabling the metal scuff plate to be fastened to the vehicle door, or to the vehicle body. This method, or similar methods, has been disclosed respectively in JP2003-63320A, on which US2002-139081A1 is based, and from which US2002-139081A1 claims priority, in JP2002-46529A, and in JP2001-347898A.
In the aforementioned method of fastening a metal scuff plate to a vehicle door, or to a vehicle body, a synthetic-resin made garnish is needed for a metal scuff plate. Therefore, manufacturers are required to fixedly mount a scuff plate on a garnish. Moreover, in order to attain a stable support of a clip by a garnish, it is necessary to provide a garnish, which possess a sufficient degree of strength for supporting a clip. Namely, a garnish on occasions is required to have a sufficient thickness for supporting a clip. In such a case, there may be a danger of limiting a freedom degree of designing.
In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been made so as to improve the above-disclosed matters.